Mechanism for dispensing measured lengths of tacky tape



Oct. 23, 1951 c. c. POWELL ET AL MECHANISM FOR DISPENSING MEASURED LENGTHS OF TACKY TAPE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 Filed Jan. 18, 1949 CLYDE O. POWELLE WALTER R. POWELL 3nventors (Ittomegs Oct. 23, 1951 c. c. POWELL ET AL MECHANISM FOR DISPENSING MEASURED LENGTHS OF TACKY TAPE 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Jan. 18, 1949 FIG FIG

C. POWELL a CLYDE R. POWELL Zmnemors P v WALTER FIG 4 (lttorneg;

Patented Oct. 23, 1951 twe? 9:1 2

11 and Walter lfowe l,

'- ApplicationJanuarllS, 1949,.Serial No; 71,464

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Th s nve tion la es; im ro ements e me a m fo d s en ng mes e dle th 9 acky tape o t e 12r u r$e$i t n -ea! normally adhesive without solvents or heat.

While is ensin d vice ri eky @2 9 known in he a t t e eviousevi es ha def ts tha h n n ion is e si nesi t9 come- A mai 'siifli u t 'pi p eview 'fi eYipee lees been to at a n th di pensin teases m sured ngths 9f ta k -tap nd 1. m sm o d vi es thateutwe tiq llh 1. g predetermined length oft a .p e 1s .that' the ineas uring device, which is usually a rbl1er,' has direct contact with the tackysideof the tape, so th t wh the len t been disp nse a the"measi1rin'g" device is to hreturned'ito the normal position; rel-setting of. th'e'l' 'meas r g means" to the starting "position" is difficult I 1 tainfand normally has emytsm had with? c plicate'd eans that are .g'imamt to. arran e and can'gt outor'orderveiyeasi y?" Among the important @blbtsqf this invention arelto provide'fordispensingftacky t inch amenit which a predeterm ed length of tape 'canbe' accurately and" pensed; in which theltacky'hatfur" is employed toco.op' eratiyely operate a ing element during withdrawalpoi the Vjtape a suitable source; .in which a reeipitQbalmeasuringfelement is employed and moved in one 'dijrec tijo'n during tape withdrawal and is disengage; able .toreturn to a normal position to prepa e the mechanism. for a subsequent withdra all operation'fin which there"isiaireciprocal fr mechanism that is easily operated to withdrawal of a measured lengthpi which the disengagement and return I measuring element to normal is c" operatively related to a cut-off mechanism, wh ch; being dispensed is presented with the'cut-off; end having the tacky side uppermost foreo grasping for manual witl dr'anaval-'of m surd len t s; in hi h r is a an r5 1 that is out of contact with the tacky die {the tape during withdrawal and yet operate mit withdrawal of the tape but can also s'irnply b permitted to retunn to a g or n ial position for a second withdrawal operation; in which the permissible "turning of a measuring-relief be-easily and-"quickly varied -to==meet varying needs" as to tape length; which the {measur of a predetermined length of {is elite;-

, drawings ,"in"which:'

tra n e and an he us' i v unsk e he; ntel to dispense varying lengths oftac'k'y tap ce side b e eew c he foreg in is dvant es are overt me a d tbe fi f ii di t flie with I 1 1% fleets that will be i nore 'apparentlrduring the course of theiollowi'n'g description, areattai d by. the a mechanism shown the ae o mpf Figure l is a perspective view of our mechanism for dispensingimeasuredsalengths of tacky en t;

Figure 2- is adetailed' view 'schematicallyshow and measuring rollers employed iniifur 1m Figure 3 is-reduced front-view in elevation'of the niechanism'o'f'Fig urel;

Figure 4 is a similarly reduced side 'ViGW'ZjII elevation of o'ur disp nsing machin'ef Figure 5 is-ai1 -enlarged *iragmentaryview showing the manner in whichtheperipheriesof a fee ding idler roller and t'he ineasuring rene'r interenga'ge in our mechanism; and

Figure 6 is' a'n' enlarged section'al view taken 0n li ne'6 B of'Figu re 4Q T p fe din me mnism Referring to'Figure 1 of-i'the drawings we show a base 10 of any suitable material, preferably substantial as to weight and strength, .upon which is mounted' our mechanism. upr ight plate of leg "supports, ,in parallel axes,:-';the storage roller 1.14, the guide rolleralfi, lthtidle'r roller I 8, the measuring roller. 2.0 and the delivery table "22; all shown in their relative relationship in Figure 2.

i'l hewstorage roller all is rotatably mounted on axle'JS which is. supported v by'-ar.m =2ll -that is in .turn pivotally oonnectednby'pin 262170 legJZ. unGuiderollerilfi is .rotatably mountedyon axle p n 11 that visssupp rted; from lead; hyahraclse Roller ver ie trpller- 1. s l eh lyatoione si e the eo '1he .1, wh n wh h is iou e l aanznin 30.,hat fixedly mounted in plate l2,:;has ts n eem en le e e Jaet The tacky tape to be dispensed, carried by roller [4 on which it is spirally woundv with the tacky side inward, is passed around guide roller.

IS with the non-tacky side contacting said roller.

As the tape leaves roller I6, its path changes slightly as the tacky side of the tape contacts" the outer face of idler roller l8: The reduction 7 of the cylindrical surface area of roller 18, pro

duced by the grooves 3|, decreases the area con tact between the tape and the roller, so that the tape may easily be 'manually drawn past roller I8. I

The delivery table 22 is supported by leg 12 in a horizontal plane that is about the same as the bottom'of roller l8 and slightly below the top of roller I6. The tacky tape lies on table 22 with the tacky side up, convenient for an operator to grasp the same with the forefingers and to withdraw a length.

Measuring mechanism Measuring roller 20, as may be seen in Figure 6, is rotatably mounted on pin 38, which is nonrotat/ably mounted in arm 34. In a cup 46 is located a spiral spring 48 that has its inner end secured to pin 38 and its outer end secured to cup 46. As roller rotates, relative to pin 38, energy is stored in spring 48. The measuring roller carries, on its side faces, stop members 50 and 52, either or both of which may be variably positioned about the rim of roller 26 in accordance with the desired length of tape that is to be dispensed.

0n arm 34 we provide an overhanging flange 54, located in the path of stop 52, to form an abutment when the roller 26 rotates backward under the urgence of spring 48, as will later be described. A stop arm 56 supported on pin 30 forms an abutment in the path of stop boss 50, to limit forward rotation of roller 28 when a length of tape is being withdrawn from the machine; it being apparent that, when rollers l8 and 20 are frictionally interengaged and the tape is pulled, both turn. Roller l8 revolves counterclockwise in Figure 1, while roller 28 revolves clockwise in the same view. The direction arrows of Figure 1 indicate the direction ofrotation during dispensing but it will be understood that roller 20, on occasion, rotates counterclockwise when spring 48 is acting upon it, to return stop 52 into contact with the underside of flange 54, which is the normal position. a

The stop boss 56 may be moved to'various positions on wheel 20 to vary the amount of permissible turning before the boss 50 comes into abutment with arm 56. If a short tape length is desired, roller 20 is permitted to rotate only a small amount, whereas, when a longer tape is desired, the stop 50 is moved to permit a, greater rotation of roller 20. Arm 56 can also be manually swung out of the path of-stop boss 50 when it is desired to dispense a tape of a length contacts .the mandrel.

' Shearing mechanism On the forward portion of the base H) in front of the dispensing mechanism, is located a shearing means that comprises standards 66, 62 mounted upright and which are joined above by the cross rail 64. A reciprocal carriage 66 travels across and back on rail 64 and carries in a lower position the circular knife 68. A mandrel I6 is slidably mounted at its ends on standards 66, 62 and is urged upward by springs 12. When the carriage is reciprocally moved, the knife 68 rolls on mandrel l6 and cuts the tape where it The forward edge of table 22 is closely located alongside the path of knife 68.

Reciprocation of the shearing knife and its carriage is obtained manually, in this instance, by the use of a bell-crank 80 that is pivotally mounted at the elbow on crank pin 8!. A simple lever 82 is mounted on its lower end on base ID, to swing on pivot pin 83, and its upper end is connected to carriage 66 by means of link 84. Connecting link 86 joins one arm of the bell-crank 80 with lever 82 at an intermediate point. As the free arm of bell-crank 86 is manually depressed from the position of Figure 1 to that of Figure 3, the carriage 66 is caused to move across the path of a tape length that has been drawn ofi roller l8 and to shear the same. The

* free end of bell-crank 80 is lifted to return the carriage to the normal position, thus reciprocating the rotary knife 68.

Measuring roller release During a withdrawal of tape and a turning of roller 20 in a clockwise direction indicated in Figure 1, the stop 50 revolves into abutment with arm 56, where it will remain as long as wheels l8 and 20 are pressed together. Such is due to the substantial frictional contact that is obtained between the rollers, primarily due to the action of the springs 40 and 44 and the interfitting of the tongues and grooves that are formed around the outer faces of the rollers. Under such circumstances, the spring 48 at the hub of the roller 20 is tensioned or wound up.

Pressure applied to the forward end 35 of arm 34 will cause roller 20 to swing away from roller [8 and for this purpose we employ the inclined flange that is secured to and travels with the carriage 66. The under inclined face of flange 90 contacts the anti-friction roller 92 of the front end 35 of arm 34 and causes the same to be depressed as in Figures 3 and 4. This action lifts. roller 20 out of contact with roller l8, and the spring 48 unwinds to backwardly rotate roller 28 until stop boss 52 contacts the underside of flange 54, whereupon the roller 26 has been returned to its normal position. I

When the carriage is returned back along rail 64, the arm 34 is allowed to rock up on its for-. ward end, permitting roller 20 to again interengage with roller I8. In this way the measuring mechanism is re-set for a subsequent dispensing operation.

Method of operation It will have already been seen that the operationof the mechanism is quite simple. Briefly, theoperation is conducted as follows: An op: erator picks up the free end of a piece of tape, that is led from roll I4 to table 22, by pressing lightly with the forefingers on the upper tackyequal o h c mum e fi oirol er .1 1, de. an mp ts a pu in ii The l s side of the tape presses against the lower grooved face of roller l8, due to its passing over roller 16, the upper surface of which is slightly higher than the bottom of roller I8. As the tape is withdrawn, roller l8 turns on its axis and causes roller 20 to likewise turn and store energy in spring 48. At the same time, stop 50 revolves until it comes into abutment with arm 56, whereupon further withdrawal is prevented. Under such circumstances, the tape will be in the dotted line position of Figure 1, intersecting the path of knife 68 and overlying the mandrel 70. Assuming that the operator has used the right hand to grasp and pull on the tape, he then presses with his left hand on bell-crank 8B and causes the knife to cut across the tape and sever the same. In the manner that has been described, the measurin roller 20 is at this time returned to the normal position. When the severed piece of tape is disposed of, a repeated operation is capable of performance and all subsequent withdrawals on one setting of stop 59 will produce dispensed tape lengths that are identical. This latter follows irrespective of the decreasing circumference of roller 14 as tape is drawn off.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art, that the form and arrangement of parts shown herein may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Such changes can include empowering the shearing means and the tape feeding means to eliminate manual power that is employed in this machine.

Having thus described our invention, We claim:

1. In a dispenser for tacky tape spooled in a roll with the tacky side inward, an idler roller mounted to turn about a fixed axis in contact with the tacky surface of a tape moving thereby, means for holding a supply of tacky tape and for deliverin the same with the tacky side in contact with said idler roller to cause the latter to revolve when the tape is withdrawn from the dispenser upon direct manual pull on the outer end of the tape, a measuring roller mounted to turn from a normal position with its periphery in normal frictional contact with said idler roller and out of contact with said tacky tape, a lever for supporting said measuring roller, said lever being pivoted about an axis offset from but parallel to the axis of said measuring roller and having an arm thereon extending outwardly to that side opposite said measuring roller, means for urging said measuring roller into contact with said idler roller, means for limiting forward rotation-of said measuring roller, means for biasing said measurin roller for backward rotation to the normal position, means for limiting backward rotation of said measuring roller past its normal position, a reciprocal shearing means operable across the path of said tape to cut the same, means for reciprocally moving said shearing means, means carried by said shearing forming an inclined surface, said inclined surface being located to contact said outwardly extending arm during reciprocation and to move the same to cause the measuring roller to swing out of contact with said idler roller.

2. In a dispenser for tacky tape spooled in a roll with the tacky side inward, swingably mounted means for holdin a roll of tacky tape, a guide roller closely overlying said roll of tape to receive the same therefrom with the non-tacky side passing over the guide roller surface, means for pressing said guide roller and tape roll together at all times, an idler roller in spaced apart relation forward of said guide roller to receive tape therefrom so that the tape passes between said guide and idler rollers and the tacky surface contacts the idler roller on a minor under portion of its surface, means for receiving the non-tacky surface of said tape and for supporting the same as it leaves said idler roller, a medially pivoted arm above to one side of said idler roller, a measuring roller carried by said pivoted arm on one side of its pivot and in normal frictional contact with said idler roller and out of contact with said tape, means for urging said measurin and idler rollers into frictional contact with each other, means for limiting forward rotation of said measuring roller, means for biasing said measuring roller for backward rotation to the normal position, means for limiting backward rotation of said measuring roller past its normal position, a roller shear reciprocally operable across the path of tape on said receiving and supporting means, means for reciprocally moving said roller shear, means carried by said shear including an inclined surface, said medially pivoted arm extending on that side of its pivot opposite the location of the measuring roller to the path of the inclined surface carried by said shear whereby the latter depresses said arm and raises said measuring roller out of contact with the idler roller as the tape is bein severed whereupon the measuring roller is permitted to return to its normal position.

CLYDE C. POWELL. WALTER R. POWELL.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 676,973 Baker June 25, 1901 794,060 Uzel Jul 4, 1905 1,699,235 Geiss Jan. 15, 1929 1,732,635 Chabot Oct. 22, 1929 1,732,636 Gautier et a1 Oct. 22, 1929 1,972,851 McCarthy Sept. 4, 1934 2,147,776 Mitchell Feb. 21, 1939 2,233,361 Anderson et a1 Feb. 25, 1941 2,291,668 Weigolt Aug. 4, 1942 2,366,971 Krueger Jan. 9, 1945 2,424,488 Morin July 22, 1947 

